Hogwarts? Hogwash!
by MellyIsSmelly
Summary: A group of American teenagers from the Salem Witches' Institute are transferred to Hogwarts for one year. But all they had read about in the series, was nothing and everything like what they expected!
1. The Nod

**Hogwarts? Hogwash!**

**Chapter One – The Nod**

"Ex_cuse_ me," I snapped to the freshman. "Sheesh, crowd in halls, much?"

"Whoa," my best friend, Jordan Lee, put a hand on my arm, "calm, Charlie. Calm?"

I growled at her. "Bite me, Jor. Bite me?"

"No thanks," Jordan smirked.

I shook my head. "You know, for a school that's enchanted so it looks like it's in the middle of nowhere and not in Massachusetts… you'd think our principal would be smart enough to make the school _bigger_. I mean, we aren't growing any smaller."

"Hey, girl," Jordan said. "What did I say about calming down? You're going to mess up in Advanced Transfigurations class again and make Kate loser her bra again."

I smiled at that thought. "It was an accident?" My voice made it seem as if it wasn't an accident at all.

"Right," Jordan rolled her eyes. She didn't miss anything at all.

I shrugged exhaustedly and sighed. "Well, we should get back to our dorms."

Jordan nodded. "Yup."

We walked in silence and I dragged my steps a bit. It was about late July and summer school was officially over. Of course, it didn't matter that we weren't supposed to use magic outside of class but… no one will ever find out…

"Unless they find her bra," Jordan calmly said.

"Wah!" I jumped away from her. Though, I should be used to it, Jordan has always been good at reading minds… it was freaky. She just said my face was easy to read though… "That's creepy."

We walked to the entrance of the girls' dormitories and I put my hand on Jordan's shoulder.

"Alas," I said solemnly, "this is where we part out ways."

Jor shook her head. "Sheesh, Charlie, dramatic, much?"

"I'm a writer," I winked. "I can't help it."

We laughed, our voices echoing down the halls. I faced the West Wing and saluted Jordan. "See ya."

She waved and walked to her wing, the East Wing.

I walked to the elevator and it opened instantly. Once I was inside, the doors shut and it started moving by itself. The elevators took us to wherever we wanted to go… that was in the dormitories, of course. I was in the elevator by myself and took my wand out of my jean pocket. I waved it around and pretended I was Luke Skywalker for a moment.

The door dinged open and I instantly lapsed into my calm and bored look. Some sophomores piled in and before leaving the elevator, I gave them The Nod.

"Did you just give them The Nod?" a voice asked in amusement.

I turned and saw Kate Greene, a close friend of mine that was dorming with me with my other best friend, Rebecca Bolton, and Kate's best friend, Ellie Desson.

I shrugged. "It's not like I'll ever see them again. There's what? About 5,500 kids at our school?"

Kate nodded. "That's true, but you know they're going to spend the rest of their sophomore year excited that a senior nodded at them."

We watched each other with serious expressions but soon burst out laughing. I linked arms with Kate and started walking down the hall.

"What were they doing on our floor anyways?" I wondered.

The rooms appeared when we wanted to go to that room.

"I think I heard them giggling about Kira Carson," Kate said.

"Miss Prissy and Rich?" I snickered.

Kate frowned. Despite being one of the most smartest witches in the wizarding world, she and her family were big Christians. Don't ask, I don't know how that's possible.

"You don't know her," she said.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't have to. She's the Paris Hilton and Harry Potter combined of our world."

Kate laughed despite my teasing of a fellow student. I stuck the key into the door and turned.


	2. Trouble

**Chapter Two – Trouble**

I opened my door and Rebecca and Ellie were sitting on Ellie's bed. I sighed dramatically, "Jeez, guys, do you know how much you mess up the room? God knows Ellie is as much a pig as a pig itself."

"Hey…" Ellie pouted.

"Muahaha," I laughed evilly.

I jumped onto my bed and reached under my bed to pull out the laptop. I half-listened to their chatter and paid more attention to my laptop. I logged into AIM and scanned the list, and lo and behold, my online best friend, Sydney Tilden, was on.

'Yo, Sydney, what's cracka lackin?' I typed in.

'Nothing, homey, I'm just chillin' at my crib, fo shizzle?' Sydney typed back.

I started laughing and Ellie, Kate, and Rebecca gave me weird looks. "What?" I asked innocently.

'… Please don't hurt yourself, Sydney.'

Sydney Tilden lived in Indiana in a _way_ rural area. You could totally tell because there was this one website and if you type in your zip code, it showed you how many _registered_ sex offenders were in your immediate area. I tried the zip code for where I used to live (Ellis, California), and it came out with 124 sex offenders. Sydney tried it later and she got only three. See what I mean? Rural.

'Summer school is exhausting!' I told her.

'Tell me about it, it's so long and so hot,' she typed back.

Soon, the speaker system in our dorm room called out, "Rebecca Bolton, Ellie Desson, Kate Greene, and Charlie Lennox, please report to the principal's office."

I gulped and looked at the faces around me. "Well, if Kate's in trouble too, maybe we're not in trouble."

Ellie and Rebecca exchanged nervous glances.

'I've got to go now… my mom needs my help,' I felt bad lying to Sydney, but I couldn't just tell her the truth… Sydney… a _muggle_.

Not that I had anything against muggles. I'm muggle-born myself.

'Okay, bye!' Sydney said.

I left the laptop on my bed and put on an away message. "Well, let's go, guys."

We walked out the door, down the elevator, and across the field to the school.

The four of us (including Jordan) all lived in the same town, which was a really great turnout. Jordan, Rebecca, and I all went to the same middle school and Ellie and Kate went to a different middle school. When we were put together in the same dorm, it was almost too good to be true.

Besides, Southern California girls had to stick together.

Jordan, on the other hand, was stuck in another wing with three other girls, who were all from Orange County. Jordan was excited since she was an O.C. girl by heart anyways.

Before we entered the office, Ellis murmured, "It must have been that clock you spelled."

I chuckled in a low voice. "It was the only way to wake you up."

"It was a Sunday," Rebecca said without humor.

I said nothing and the four of us entered the principal's office.

Principal Richardson sat in his black swivelly chair and stared at us with a piercing gaze. "Go ahead," he said calmly, "have a seat."

There were only two seats in the room and I shot a helpless look at Kate.

She gave a little sigh and said, "_Accio_ chairs."

Two other chairs appeared and I sat down in it and mentally thanked Kate.

"Now, girls," he clasped his hands in front of him and gave each of us a look. "What of our world is fact… and what of the world that J. K. Rowling had conjured into the Harry Potter series is fiction?"

Um, what? "Well, the wizarding world she made up was… freakishly similar. But other than that, Hogwarts and stuff were fake… right?" I asked. There was a huge controversy that Rowling herself was a witch.

He frowned. "What if I said Hogwarts was real?"


	3. Hogwarts Is Real

**Chapter Three – Hogwarts Is Real**

"But it's not," I protested.

"But what if it was?" He shot at me.

"But it's not!" I cried feebly.

"Whoa, sorry I'm late," Jordan appeared in the doorway and looked at us. "What's going on?"

"Principal Richardson is rambling on about Hogwarts being real!" I practically shouted at her.

Kate put a hand on my arm. "Calm down, Charlie. Don't yell at the principal." She looked up at Jordan. "Do you need a chair?" Kate asked politely.

Jordan shook her head and leaned on the doorway.

Principal Richardson cleared his throat. "As I was saying… Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a real school and you ten have been offered the chance of the lifetime. Tomorrow morning, you will be portkeyed near Hogwarts."

I stared at him, aghast. Was he really telling the truth or was our principal losing his mind?

"_What_?" Jordan shrieked.

"Wait, back up," I put my hand to my forehead as if it would stop the spinning. "What do you mean by ten? There are only five of us here."

"Because the rest of the group is meeting me later," Principal Richardson explained.

"How do we know this isn't just a joke?" Kate said.

He handed a letter to her which she quickly scanned and passed to me.

'To the principal of Salem Witches' Institute,' it started. 'We are pleased to inform you that the dorm rooms are set aside for the arranged number of ten students from the Salem Witches' Institute to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for one school year. We trust you to send the ones who are not only the brightest, but also the ones who will learn the most from this experience. We hope that you have not changed your mind about this program and would be pleased if you send them right away. Two escorts at the arranged meeting place will be there to help your students find their way to Hogwarts. Please warn them to wear tennis shoes. Signed, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.'

I passed it to Jordan who I saw reading it with growing alarm.

"Tennis shoes?" Rebecca said while raising an eyebrow. "What does he mean by that?"

"I think that means we'll be walking for a while… Right, Charlie?" Kate asked me.

All five pairs of eyes turned to me. I was the Harry Potter expert since I followed the series almost religiously. "I—I—uh?" I stuttered. I took a deep breath. "Yes, Hogwarts is almost impenetrable. Well, from what I read anyways."

Principal Richardson nodded. "Now, today is Friday and it's about," he glanced at the watch on the wall facing him, "2:45 P.M. I suggest you go back to your dorms and start packing and meet here in my office at 10 A.M."

And with that, he dismissed us.

The five of us stared at each other and slowly rose from our seats. The same question was on all of our faces. Hogwarts? What the heck is this? I mean, sure, there was that rumor that Rowling was a witch but… is it possible she could have went to Hogwarts?

We left the office and Rebecca, Ellie, and Kate walked ahead of Jordan and I. For some strange reason, I turned back and saw a flash of blonde going into Principal Richardson's office. I blinked a bit and stopped in my tracks.

"What's up, Char?" Jordan asked me.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

Jordan and I walked across the field, a bit behind the three and I asked her in a low voice, "What do you think about this Hogwarts stuff?"

"Well, I don't know, really. Whatever happens, happens, right?" Jordan said. I agreed with her.

The grass crunched underneath our feet and I looked behind me. If this wasn't a joke or anything, and I really was going to go to Hogwarts for a year, then that means I wouldn't be able to see any of my friends. My heart felt heavy and my throat felt thick with tears.

"Everything will work out in the end," Jordan had told me when we went to our separate rooms to pack.

When I returned to my dorm, Sydney had already signed offline.


	4. Portkeys Suck

**Chapter Four – Portkeys Suck**

I had woken up bright and early and put on my most comfortable jeans and a white spaghetti strapped dress. I expertly tied my long hair into one long braid and looked over at my friends who were quietly shuffling around the room, trying to see if they were forgetting any last minute details.

"This is it, huh, guys?" I finally said. It was the first thing anyone said that morning.

"Uh," Kate motioned with her hands. She motioned a lot with her hands. "We're girls, not guys, Charlie."

"Shut up," I laughed. The tension in the air was gone instantly and we all smiled.

We walked out into the hallway, dragging our luggages with us. I stopped and pulled my wand out. I swished and flicked, "_Wingardium Leviosa_." My two luggages hovered into the air and I smiled triumphantly at my friends and walked without looking. Which was why I didn't notice the ghost standing in front of me.

"Ah!" I shrieked and shivered. It was like walking through a freezer. "What the heck, Calvin?"

He shrugged. "Is it true? Are you guys really going to go to Hogwarts?"

I shook my head instead and levitated my luggages and started walking. "Yes." I paused and looked at him floating with my suitcases. "Wait, I thought you were banned from the girls' dormitories."

"I'm here now, aren't I?" He laughed.

I shook my head and shuddered, but not from the cold. "Ew, you lecherous kid."

"Hey, I'm older than you!" Calvin protested.

"Excuse me, Communist Calvin?" Once we were all in the elevator, it started going down. "You died last year, which means we're the same age now."

He paused. "Damnit!"

The elevator opened. "Exactly."

When Calvin (for some reason, Calvin was really into communism) died last year, in my junior year, I cried so much. But the next day, he was right in class with us and I screamed. And then I laughed because he died by slipping on a patch of ice and broke his neck.

"I wonder if I could go there," Calvin said.

I looked at his short figure. "Um… Aren't you, like, naturally bound to this place or something?"

"I don't know," he replied.

"You never tried it?" I asked.

"And go where? _Home_?" he sneered. Calvin's dad was a squib and hated Calvin for having magical powers.

I shrugged. "Anywhere besides the girls' dormitories? You pervert."

Calvin shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a healthy—but dead—teenage boy."

We entered the office and Principal Richardson took one look at Calvin. "Were you in the girls' dormitories again?"

Calvin vanished and I laughed. "Coward," I whispered to the empty air.

"All right, girls, gather around the portkey," Principal Richardson hoarded us around the… hat?

I snickered. "Sorting hat, anyone?"

"Oh, yes, the sorting hat is real," he nodded his head grimly. Jordan and I gave each other quick looks and I had to bite down my tongue to keep from giggling. But I knew we were both thinking the same thing which was, "What the f…?"

"Wait," Ellie said. "Where are the other kids?"

"They already went ahead," Richardson waved his hand as if the question was equal to a fly that he wanted to wave away.

We all looked around the office and simultaneously reached out to touch the hat.

My stomach went into a whirl and I felt the wind rushing at my cheeks and pulling at my hair. I had a feeling that if I opened my mouth, my cheeks would be blowing out like in the cartoons. I refrained from doing so though. Just as quickly as it happened, it was soon over. I landed heavily onto the ground and groaned.

"That hurt like a mother." I rubbed my back. I thought _that_ hurt a lot until Rebecca landed on my stomach. "I pushed her off of me and rubbed my head and my stomach. Everything was sore. "I'll never get used to that, I swear."

"Do you need help?" a guy with dark green eyes offered me a hand.


	5. Lawrenceburg

**Chapter Five – Lawrenceburg**

"I know something else you can help me with," I wiggled my eyebrow suggestively and I heard Kate say my name in a disapproving manner.

I heard someone scoff softly and said, "Try not to put too much meaning into that, Charlie. He might think you want to crawl into bed with him."

Once the guy helped me to my feet, I turned to the voice and saw my ex-boyfriend, Christian Chan. "Jeez, Christian, what if I _want_ to crawl into bed with him?" I winked at him in jest and turned to the guy.

"Thanks, my name's Charlie Lennox," I stuck out my hand and we shook hands.

"Race Jackson."

"Jordan Lee," Jordan piped up.

"Kate Greene," Kate introduced herself.

"Rebecca Bolton."

"Ellie Desson."

Another guy in the same uniform as Race—black pants with a white collared shirt and a green and purple tie tucked underneath their ugly gray sweater vest—stepped forward and said, "Connor Dylan."

Christian raised his hand to the other kids and said, "Christian Chan."

"We should have name tags," I murmured to Jordan.

One Mexican-looking kid spoke up next, "Daniel Rodriguez."

A skinny white kid said, "Tyler Young."

A tall but muscled guy said, "Kelvin Harper."

The last, a girl, was a short white girl who calmly said her name, "Kira Carson."

It was silent for a couple of seconds before a loud burst of chirping sounded in the forest. What the? Oh, right, we were a couple of miles away from Hogwarts since Hogwarts were almost impenetrable.

"All right, Salem students, come follow me," Race called out.

I fell behind Race and walked with Jordan. "He is _so_ cute," I whispered.

Jordan's eyes flashed and she put a finger to her lips. "_Muffliato_."

"Haha, thanks, I forgot all about that spell," I said.

Jordan shook her head, "Where would you be without me, Char?"

"Um… possibly still with my balls intact," I laughed. Jordan and I grew apart in 9th grade and we joked about how in 11th grade, we didn't have the guts to talk to each other and thus, our balls ran away. It was a bit of a private joke.

"What do you think about Connor?" Jordan asked.

I looked behind me. Connor was talking to Miss Prissy and Rich and pushed one hand through his light brown hair. He looked up the second I looked back and his eyes found mine. They were light brown and I had a sudden craving for chocolate, oddly enough.

"He's cute too, but Race is pretty hot too," I observed. "What do you think?"

She smiled a little smile. "I'm into the bad boy type." She laughed.

"Well, I can assure you, I'm plenty bad boy enough," Race turned around and smiled at our stunned expressions.

My face flushed deep red and so did Jordan's. He gave me a wink and continued walking.

"I wonder how he heard us," I muttered, still embarrassed.

"Oh…" Jordan said quietly. "Did I forget to mention that I wasn't very good with that particular spell yet?"

I gave her a death glare. "Yes, you forgot to mention that."

Jordan gave me an apologetic shrug and I walked away. I soon found myself at the back of the group, behind Connor and Kira.

"Yes, my family lives in Indiana," I heard Kira tell Connor.

"Lawrenceburg," I said under my breath.

Kira turned around, "How did you know where I live?" She didn't say it spitefully, but as if she was really curious.

"My friend," I mumbled, "named Sydney Tilden lives there."


	6. Surprise, Surprise!

**Chapter Six – Surprise, Surprise**

Kira stared at me. "Sydney Tilden?"

"Yeah? What, do you know her or something?" I asked.

Kira shook her head. "Know her? Charlie, I _am_ her."

I stared back. "Bullshit!"

Connor coughed and I had the feeling he was the type to not like cursing.

"Then why are you here talking to a British guy if you don't like their accents at all, _Sydney_?" I asked, putting the emphasis on her "name".

"Because no one else wants to talk to me, _Mel Nguyen_," Kira retorted back to me.

I gulped. Mel Nguyen was the name I used online. The only one who would have known that was… Sydney.

"You don't look like a Mel, you know," Kira smiled, putting her hand on her hip.

I was flabbergasted. "I—you—how—but—we—gah!" I started over. "We've been to the same school for the past four years this whole time?"

She shrugged, "I guess so. That's one hell of a coincidence, isn't it?"

"You're _Kira Carson_!" I shrieked. Everyone stopped talking and flung looks at our small group of three. "You're Miss Prissy and Rich!"

Kira opened her mouth and closed it, at a loss for words, which was a first for Sydney/Kira. "I'll pretend you didn't say that."

I shook my head in disbelief. "This is effing crazy, you know that, right?"

Kira nodded. "Yeah. Who knew that for the past four years, we've been saying how much we wanted to see each other and we were in the same f—ing school?"

Jordan strolled back to where I was walking with my old—and at the same time, new—best friend.

"What's going on, Charlie?" Jordan asked.

"You know Sydney?" I said.

"The one who lives in Indiana that you met on Neopets?" Jordan asked.

I nodded. "Well then, meet Sydney Tilden. Also known as Kira Carson."

"No shit!" Jordan exclaimed. She turned to Kira with wide eyes. "Oh, my God. That is…"

"I know!" I interrupted.

"Um," Connor said. "You both met on Neopets?"

I nodded, "In 8th grade."

"I had friends, I was just bored so I joined Neopets," Kira put her hand up in protest.

"Well, I can understand you, but…" Connor turned to me. "Are you that desperate for friends, Charlie?"

Jordan and Kira snorted in laughter and I frowned at them. "Shut up, guys." I turned to Connor and poked him in his hard and smooth stomach. I looked up at him—man, was he tall—and said angrily, "I don't like you."

"Well then, it's a good thing I don't care," Connor smiled.

"Ooh, burn," Jordan giggled."

"Ooh, burn," I mocked her and stomped away. I walked to where Christian was and tugged on his sleeve. "Give me attention."

"I would but… you do have a short attention span, Charlie," Christian smiled.

"Then be entertaining and don't make me lose my attention," I smiled flirtatiously.

Okay, so Christian and I were together for about five months a year ago and we both decided to break up mutually because our relationship was starting to feel more like a brother-sister relationship. But where does it say where I can't still hit on my ex-boyfriends who are sometimes like a brother to me?

Christian put an arm around my shoulders. "So, I know you, Charlie." I didn't know what he was getting at. "Who in this group do you not like and who do you like?" I was sort of notorious for instantly picking out which guy I liked and clamping my, so to speak, claws into him.

I threw a glare at Connor and said, "Him, I definitely don't like. But… Race…" I lowered my eyes.

"Well," Christian squeezed my shoulder. "Don't look now but he's coming to talk to you."


	7. A Blast From the Past,, Not!

**Chapter Seven – A Blast From The Past… Not!**

As if magically, Christian disappeared and my eyes were on Race. He smiled at me and I gulped at his white and straight teeth.

Another point for the oh-so-perfect Race. Damn, our kids are going to look beautiful.

"Hey, Charlie," Race said.

Hey, sexy. "Hey, Race. What's up?"

"I just wanted to walk with you on this sunny day," he commented.

I looked around at the huge dark trees that enveloped the forest and made it seem threatening, giving it the name, 'Forbidden Forest'. But despite the huge trees, it was extremely beautiful.

"Yeah, it's gorgeous," I said in awe.

"Not as gorgeous as you," Race looked down at my stunned face.

Someone coughed behind us and said, "Cliché!" It was Ellie. I turned back to Race and behind my back, I stuck my middle finger out at them.

"So," I said.

"So…" He smiled. "What do your parents think about you attending Hogwarts now?"

My face fell a bit, but I don't know if he noticed or not. "Um, my parents don't know I'm at Hogwarts."

"Oh?" He asked. "Why don't they know?"

"My parents are Muggles," I said. "They're divorced and my dad, who's white, lives in Nevada. My mom, who's Vietnamese, lives back in California."

He nodded. "That's what you are."

"Yup," I chuckled. I hesitated for a few seconds but the Charlie inside me let Race know a bit of my background, "My mom disowned me when she found out I was a witch. I've been living at Salem Witches' Institute for the past three to four years. My older sister, Spencer, has been paying my tuition for me."

Race frowned sympathetically. "Well, you'll have a new family now." His hand found its way into mine. It felt weird… but _good_ weird. Race wasn't holding my hand like it was a dead thing and he wasn't holding my hand like a life preserver either. This guy knew what he was doing.

"I hope I could get into Slytherin." I changed the subject.

Race's eyes twinkled. "You're a Slytherin girl?"

I scoffed, as if offended, "Slytherins, for the win." I laughed. "Gryffindors get all the glory, you know? But I bet they're all spoiled and retarded kids."

Race gave me a look that seemed as if he was seeing me in a new light. Then he announced loudly, "I think I'm in love with this girl."

Looks were cast our way and I blushed.

"Well, it's a bit too early to start saying the 'L' word, don't you think?" I tugged uncomfortable at my white dress.

He laughed. "Better early than never."

I heard someone snort behind us—I think it was Connor. "I thought boys like you were petrified of that word."

Race shook his head. "No, not me."

He smiled in a way that seemed predatory, but all thoughts of that left my mind when our group left the forest and saw the huge and menacing castle ahead. In front of me lay huge and long sloping lawns, flowerbeds and vegetable patches. Far off was the lake. Even farther away were the hoops to the large Quidditch stadium—I'm _so_ trying out for the team. On the side of the castle were a number of large greenhouses and an Owlery—which was easy to spot due to the amount of owls flying in and out of a place.

"Ooh, Quidditch," I looked towards Jordan who came up to my side a moment ago. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jordan grinned. "Hell yes!"

Back at Salem Witches' Institute, Flying was a mandatory class for all four years we were staying at Salem. Jordan and I took up Night Flying our 11th grade years and Ms. Jergens said she saw promise in us.

I chuckled. "Want to show these Brits how it's done?"


	8. Snape's Lookin' Hot!

**Chapter Eight – Snape's lookin' hot!**

I checked my green digital Baby-G watch and saw that it was a little after 11 A.M. "All right, what's on the schedule for today?"

"Everyone should be in the Great Hall for brunch and you all will be sorted. Today is Sunday, so the rest of the week will be for Quidditch tryouts. Dumbledore postponed the tryouts in case any of you wanted to try out." Jordan and I winked at each other. "In two weeks, August 6th, school starts," Race stated.

Connor asked behind me, "How are you at Quidditch, Charlie?"

I turned to him and bit back a smile, "Oh, I'm a fairly good player."

Race faced me and asked, "What position do you play?"

"Jordan and I are the Beaters," I explained. "We aren't horribly religious with Quidditch as you guys are, I guess. We just form groups and play."

"So you wouldn't know much about Quidditch, would you?" Connor asked.

My eyes narrowed and Jordan lightly touched my elbow. She coughed and said, "No, we don't. We're pretty much beginners."

I ignored them and focused on the Entrance Hall. The Hall was lit with torches and the ceiling was so high, I couldn't even see it. The floor was a paved flagstone floor. To the right of the Hall were two double doors. Race and Connor were walking towards it and I supposed that it was the door to the Great Hall.

"He should be here," Race murmured.

As soon as he said that, the door opened a bit and a tall and incredibly handsome man with black hair and long slender fingers that gave off the impression that the man played the piano—and very well too.

"Is this all of them?" the man asked, scanning our small group.

"Yup," Connor smirked. "All eight of them."

Race glared at Connor. "All _ten_ of them, professor."

"Good," the man nodded. "I expected no less from the Head Boy."

Connor's face darkened. Whoo, some competition for those two.

The man turned towards us and I almost swooned. Although he was about in his late-thirties/early-forties, that guy was _smokin'_. He slightly bowed and said, "Welcome, Salem students, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My name is Severus Snape, however, since I would be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher from here on out, you shall refer to me as Professor Snape." He paused and jaws were practically rolling on the ground. _This_ hot teacher was Professor _Oily _Snape? He ignored our stares and continued. "Once you are sorted into your Houses, you may either dine with the other students or explore the school grounds. Tomorrow, however, you have to wear your uniforms. They may be formatted however you wish but nothing indecent or your stomach showing. If that occurs, points will be deducted. Your luggage and uniforms will be in the room that you are sorted to. Trips to Hogsmead will take place in October." He stopped and watched us. "Are you ready?"

"Are we ever?" I squeaked. I clamped a hand over my mouth and Kira giggled.

"One last thing," Professor Snape before opening the doors, "if you need any help, don't be afraid to ask the prefects, Head Boy, Head Girl, or the Head of your house."

With that, Professor Snape easily pushed open the large doors and I froze, seeing many, many pairs of eyes staring at me in wonder.

Christian was beside me muttering, "Connor told me there were about 1,000 students at Hogwarts. Which means there would be about 250 students in each House. Which also boils down to there being about 62 students that are the same age as us."

Race and Connor started walking to the Slytherin table. Seeing the banners above the table, I figured out that the table on the far left was Gryffindor, then Hufflepuff, then Ravenclaw, and last was Slytherin.

I gulped and took a step. "Don't be a smart ass, Christian."

Our group walked to the High Table, where the staff sat.

An elderly tall man stood up from his place and _sonorus_ed his voice. "Welcome, students of the Salem Witches' Institute."


	9. Shunned

**Chapter Nine – Shunned**

"I am Professor Dumbledore," He said. No crap, I mean, honestly… "and the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This following week is there for you to get used to your surroundings and get comfortable with the students." I snickered and my friends shot glances at me. "Again, welcome to Hogwarts and I hope you will all learn to love this place as much as you love Salem. Let the sorting of the students begin!"

Everyone clapped and I felt a little light-headed. I wasn't too good with people staring at me, though my friends were protectively around me.

Professor Dumbledore sat back in his seat and Professor Snape stepped up, with a parchment in hand. Haven't these people heard of lined college-ruled paper?

He also _sonorus_ed his voice and announced, "I will first read the year the student is in, their name, and the Sorting Hat will proceed to yell out the House the student is placed in."

The Hogwarts students were giggling and murmuring in approval.

"Year Seven, Rebecca Bolton!" Rebecca pulled on her ear a bit—she did that whenever she was extremely nervous; Kate always joked that one day, Rebecca was going to yank her ear off—and sat in the stool in front of the High Table. She winced when the Hat was placed on her head. I could practically hear her thoughts, _Ew, this is so dirty._

The whole ordeal, which lasted for about 45 seconds, consisted of Becca nervously pulling on her ear before the Hat announced, "Hufflepuff!" The Hufflepuff table erupted in shrieks and whistles and I sighed with relief. Kira gave me a look and I shrugged. I was very happy that her House welcomed her warmly since Becca took a really long time to warm up to someone.

"Year Six, Christian Chan!" I squeezed Christian's hand before he went to go sit on the stool. I watched Christian's face which was relaxed and calm. The Hat soon declared, "Gryffindor!" But this time, the Gryffindor's didn't cheer. Christian's eyebrows furrowed a bit in confusion before the other three tables started clapping loudly for Christian, whereas Gryffindor was only clapping out of politeness.

I shot Jordan a look. "What the hell was that?"

Jordan shrugged. Then she grabbed my shoulders. "Look at the table." I looked at the table and didn't notice anything.

"Year Seven, Ellie Desson!"

"What?" I asked.

"They're _all_ white," Jordan declared disgustedly. "They're even giving _me_ dirty looks."

I shook my head in revulsion and glared at the table.

"Gryffindor!"

This time, the Gryffindors applauded loudly and I wanted to grab my wand out and show the little Gryffindors what happened when they act racist. Besides, Ellie was a pretty little _white_ girl.

"Year Seven, Kate Greene!"

I calmed myself down and looked helplessly at Christian. He was sitting next to Ellie with a glum look on her face. She was talking to him in low whispers, trying to cheer him up, no doubt.

Once the Hat touched Kate's head, it shouted, "Ravenclaw!"

I giggled and shook my head. I caught her arm before she went to go sit down and whispered, "Let's do our gangster act for Christian."

Kate smiled and nodded.

"Year Five, Kelvin Harper!"

I pulled Kira towards me and said, "Hey, you do "foshizzle", okay? Just follow my cue." Kira nodded and laughed.

"Ravenclaw!"

"Year Seven, Jordan Lee!"

When Jor went to sit on the stool, I watched in satisfaction at the look on the Hogwart students faces.

"Isn't 'Jordan' a guy name?" Was what I constantly caught from the students.

"Slytherin!"


	10. Gangster Act

**Chapter Ten – Gangster Act**

The Slytherins hooted and roared and I clapped for Jordan. I was the next one up.

"Year Seven, Charlie Lennox!"

Again, the confused murmurings of my name. You'd think they never met a girl with a guy name before. There must have been about a hundred girls called Alex at Salem.

_Slytherin, is it?_ The Hat asked inside my mind.

Although I was prepared for it, it still surprised me. _Of course,_ I answered back.

_Is that your final answer? You're quite sure this is what you want?_ The Hat asked me again.

_Slytherins, for the win, _I stated calmly.

"Slytherin!"

Though everyone still clapped, they were still confused. I was beginning to think that there _were_ no girls with guy names in Europe. How boring.

"Come on, like you never met a girl named Charlie before?" I announced to the Great Hall. I snuck a look at the teachers but they only seemed amused. I started with my gangster act. "Ah mean, dat's how we do it in da west side, yo! Wo-rd!"

Kira shouted, "Foshizzle!"

Kate stood up from where she was standing and did sideways peace sign motion and said, "Bring it!"

I looked over at Christian and there was a smile on his face. He winked at me and I thumped my heart twice with my fist and flashed Christian a sideways peace sign. "Wo-rd, mah brotha from anotha motha."

The Slytherins started laughing uproariously and clapped me on the shoulder. The Hufflepuffs were standing on their benches and whistling. The Gryffindors, however, were glaring at me. As if I had no right to crack jokes in their sacred hall.

"Ahem," Professor Snape cleared his throat and sent me a look while I went to go sit with Jordan. "That was very nice, Charlie. Thank you for… showing us your creative spirit in a very… humorous way."

I bowed.

"Years Seven, Kira Carson!"

The whole Hall erupted into gasps and collective muttering. See what I mean? Paris Hilton and Harry Potter combined. When the Hall died down a bit, I shouted, "Whoa, my God! Can I see your scar, Harry?"

Kira laughed and lifted up the back of her ponytail. On the back of her neck was a tattoo of a dragon.

I whistled. "What a rebel."

She lowered her hair and shrugged modestly, "It's a temporary tattoo."

Jordan and I laughed and I didn't feel weird or anything since everyone else had amused smiles. Except for the Gryffindors though.

The Hat was placed on her head and I took the time to look down at the tables, subtly scanning for Race.

"Looking for Race?" Jordan whispered.

"Jesus," I stared at her. "Stop doing that."

Jordan laughed. "He's at the end of table." Jordan pointed. She nudged me to go sit with him. I caught Race's eye and he motioned at an empty seat near him.

I quietly got from my seat and walked to where Race was. While I was there, I caught Kira whispering, "dark and evil".

I froze and stared at her before Race put a hand on my lower back.

"Slytherin!"

I sat next to Race and wondered if there really _were_ any bad wizards in Slytherin. I shook my head, knowing that I shouldn't be biased in a House that I loved.

When Kira walked by to sit with Connor and Jordan, I reached her hand and said, "Congratulations."

"Thanks."

My eyes followed Kira back to the center of the table, where I was sitting. That was when I noticed a pair of gray eyes staring hostilely at me.


	11. Celes Patel

**Chapter Eleven – Celes Patel**

"Year Six, Daniel Rodriguez!"

I looked around, trying to see if who the really beautiful girl was staring at but she was only staring at me. What did I do _already_? I stared back at her, noting her large gray eyes, long and incredibly straight white-blonde hair. Dang, that girl was _fine_. She was sitting across from Connor.

"What's her damage?" I nudged Race and pointed the girl out.

He rolled his eyes. "That's my ex-girlfriend, Celes Patel."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Your ex-girlfriend? How interesting." I was sure my self-esteem dropped a point or ten.

"Year Five, Tyler Young!"

"I guess," he shrugged. "It was a long time ago anyways. Plus, her personality? It's as ugly inside as she is pretty outside."

Hm, I assessed this. True, he called her an ugly person inside, but he also said she was really pretty. But what does he think about me? What does Race think about _me_?!

"Gryffindor!"

Once Tyler sat down, Professor Dumbledore said that we were dismissed. I ate a big breakfast earlier with Jordan and we both gave each other pained glances.

We both got up and Race followed me. Connor, Kira, and Celes were up too.

"How about I give you your own private tour of Hogwarts," Race whispered into my ears.

I looked up and noticed everyone staring at us in surprise. "I think I'll just hang out with my friends today," I giggled nervously.

Okay, sure I liked to pretend I knew what I was talking about and acting as if I had all this experience. But deep down, I'm a freaking virgin.

"Besides, I'm a bit tired, you know, jet lag and all," I said. I wasn't lying or anything; you still had jet lag even through portkeys. Freaking incredible. "If you could just point us the way."

"Actually," Celes spoke up. Her voice even _sounded_ lyrical—I rolled my eyes. "I think that I'll take them to the Slytherin common room."

Kira, Celes, Jordan, and I exited the Great Hall and Celes led us straight across the Entrance Hall and through the door to the left of the main staircase. Down the stone steps was a maze of corridors.

"Don't forget this password because you will need it to gain access to the common room," Celes said. I said nothing but recognized what she was talking about when I spent hours reading up on Hogwarts history on Wikipedia. "_Chimera_." The stone wall opened up to show a large and long room with a rough but low stone ceiling and walls. Green-tinted lamps hung by chains were lit and carved chairs were around a fire burning under an elaborate mantelpiece. It set off a sleepy and trance-like feeling inside the common room. Despite the stone walls, the common room was very warm.

"It's a pretty green-blue hue," Kira commented.

"It's because the Slytherin dormitories are located under the lake," I told her.

Celes shot me a surprised look and I bit back a triumphant smile. I had a couple of tricks up my sleeves.

At the end of the long common room, were two large staircases on either side of the room, leading to the dormitories, I figured.

"The ones on the right go up to the boys' dormitories and the ones on the left lead to the girls' dormitories," Celes explained.

We followed her up the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories and it lead to a long hallway with doors on both sides of the walls, with four names on each of them.

"The rooms closest to the staircase belong to the prefects and the Head Girl. I am a prefect, so if you have any questions, I'll be in this room." She motioned to a room on her left, which flashed her name. "Your room will be at the end of the corridor."

We said our thanks and I started to go down the corridor with my friends when Celes grabbed my arm.

"You better stay away from Race," she threatened.


	12. Magic, Magic, and More Magic

**Chapter Twelve – Magic, magic, and more magic**

"Could you believe the nerve of that girl?" I griped to my friends. I mimicked her voice, "You better stay away from Race. That freaking jerk."

Kira shrugged. "I don't know, she seemed pretty nice to me."

Jordan nodded. "But have you seen her? _Damn_, she is hot."

I glared at Jordan, who lifted her hands up in surrender.

We were safely in our dorm room and unpacking our clothes when I opened my suitcase and took out my two-years old, but limited edition, broomstick: The Arrowhead. Kira whistled when she saw it.

"That's nice, Charlie, how'd you get it?" Kira asked.

"My sister and her husband bought it for me for my birthday two years ago," I said. "It's my baby." I paused again, reaching in arm-deep and waved my arm around inside my suitcase. "Hey, Jordan, give me a hand here." She nodded and I jumped into my suitcase. I had _engorgio_ed it and it was dark inside the suitcase, except for the one shaft of light coming from the opening. "I could live in here, you know that?"

I heard my friends snickering. "Watch out. _Accio_ Lantern!" About four lanterns flew into the suitcase and I set them inside the suitcase. I had about four boxes of clothes, two boxes of books—most of them being mangas—, my laptop, my iPod, a 22 by 23 inch T.V., wires and a Nintendo 64 game system with a bunch of games—including Super Smash Bros., Legend of Zelda and the Ocarina of Time, and Mario Kart. My other suitcase had my school materials: cauldrons, text books, etc.

"Ready?" I called up.

"Ready!" My friends called back.

"Six boxes and one laptop," I said.

"_Accio_ boxes!"

"_Accio _laptop!"

Two and a half hours later, the three of us were all unpacked and lying on one of the three 4-post-beds that we had claimed for ourselves. The rooms were decorated with much green and silver and I thought the colors fashionably went together.

"I'm exhausted," I groaned.

"You?" Kira accused. "We had clothes… _you_ had books."

I rolled over to look at her. "Don't come crying to me when you have nothing to do."

"What time is it?" Jordan grunted.

I took another look at my watch. "A little after 3 P.M." I sat up a little, despite my aching joints. "Let's look at these hideous uniforms." At the end of my queen-size bed, were a pair of navy blue knee-length socks, a black robe with a serpent badge on it, one knee-length gray skirt, a pressed short-sleeved white collared blouse, and a gray sweater vest. The rest of the uniform, including the winter uniform, were already tucked neatly away in the drawers. "I guess we have to wear these tomorrow."

Jordan suddenly clapped. "Someone give this girl an award."

I said nothing but flashed my middle finger at her.

"Our schedules are here too," I scanned my schedule in growing alarm. "Look at this!" I finally shouted in delight. "Look at how many classes we have… _seven_ at the least!" I started naming off the classes that I had last year. "Classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I had Transfiguration 3, Herbology 3, Charms 3, Potions 3, Flying 3, and Defense 3. You guys know those three days were the longest. The day was from 7 A.M. to 8:21 P.M. Then that night, we had to take two extra electives from 9 P.M. to 11 P.M. I took Advanced Transfiguration 1 and Night Flying 1. Tuesdays and Thursdays were the," I put my finger in quotations around the word, "_normal_ days. Algebra 2, English 3, Physics, U.S. Government and Economics, and History of Magic 3. Those classes were from 7 A.M. to 6:21 P.M. Then electives." I rolled my eyes. "Jeez, they go all easy over here in Europe. We had to learn magical classes _and_ normal U.S. stuff." I took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm as lazy as the next kid, but honestly, the regular high school courses were boring. But the magical courses were _so_ fun to learn!"

"Hey, look," Jordan said once I paused. "Apparition."

-----

**Author's Note: Kira's real life character asked me to change Kira's last name from Perfect to Carson. Also, below is the list of schedule of Charlie Lennox for Salem:**

11th grade:

**Mon., Wed., Fri. : **_7 am - 8:21 pm_

Transfiguration 3

Herbology 3

Charms 3

Potions 3

Flying 3

Defense 3

**Tues.,Thurs.: **_7 am – 6:21 pm_

Algebra 2

English 3

Physics

U.S. Government and Economics

History of Magic 3

**Electives: **_9 pm – 11 pm_

Night Flying 1

Advanced Transfiguration 1

12th grade summer:

_9 am – 1:51 pm _

Advanced Transfiguration 2

Trigonometry

-----

**And Hogwarts:**

**First Period; Transfiguration; 9 A.M. **

**Slytherin, Hufflepuff **

**Second Period; Defense; 10:10 A.M. **

**Slytherin, Gryffindor **

**Third Period; Flying; 11:20 A.M. **

**Slytherin, Ravenclaw **

**Fourth Period; Charms; 12:30 P.M. **

**Slytherin, Ravenclaw**

**Fifth Period; History of Magic; 1:30 P.M. **

**Slytherin, Hufflepuff**

**Sixth Period; Potions; 2:40 P.M. **

**Slytherin, Gryffindor **

**Seventh Period; Astronomy; 3:50 P.M. **

**Slytherin, Gryffindor **

**Eight Period; Herbology; 6:00 P.M. **

**Slytherin, Gryffindor **

**Ninth Period (Elective); Apparition; 8 P.M. – 9 P.M. (until Nov.) **

**Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff**


	13. Blood Sacrifice

**Chapter Thirteen – Blood Sacrifice**

"Ooh where?" I looked back at my schedule, all of my rants disappeared away from me as I saw the class that Jordan was looking at.

The three of us said, "Nice" at the same time.

Back in the U.S., the legal age was 18, not 17, as it was here. Once you were 18, the Trace left and we could use magic whenever we wanted. Well, to a certain extent, of course. Apparition was a college class but then again, when in Hogwarts… do whatever the Hogwartians do.

"It says here that," Kira spoke up, "the years would be split into three groups, adding up to a number of about 20 of our Housemates in each of our classes. Each class would have two Houses."

I nodded and listed off the classes I had in order. "I have: Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Flying, Charms, History of Magic, Potions, Astronomy, Herbology, and then Apparition."

"Cool," Kira nodded. "I have Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Potions, Astronomy, and Apparition with you."

"What about you, Jor?" I asked.

She snatched my schedule and scanned it while also reading off the classes. "Flying, History of Magic, and Apparition."

"I thought Apparition was an optional class," I said.

"Well, we can drop out if we want, I guess," Kira said.

"Speaking of dropping out, can we go to sleep now?" I asked.

"What does dropping out have to do with sleeping?" Jordan said while Kira laughed.

"Shh," I whispered. Then I clapped my hands twice loudly. The lights didn't go off. "Damn."

Kira rolled her eyes and flicked her wand and the lights were immediately put out.

I curled into a fetal position and instantly fell asleep.

I woke up with a jolt and checked my watch. It was a little after 6 A.M. I let out a soft sigh and thought about going back to sleep when I heard someone shift around in their bed. I raised my head a bit and saw Kira shuffle in her bed. I smiled to myself and said softly, "Good morning."

She grunted in return.

"You know, for a famous heiress, you sure are grumpy," I commented.

She stuck her middle finger at me. I shook my head and got out of my bed. I pointed to Jordan and said, "She'll probably wake up soon since our time zones are out of whack."

Kira nodded and I walked over to my drawers and looked at the hideous uniform and a light bulb appeared before my head.

"You do costumes for cosplay… right, Kira?" I asked.

Kira bobbed. "I'm not as good as Roseanne though." Roseanne was Kira's best friend from back home.

"Well, you're probably better than me, so start sewing." I handed her my skirt and showed her how short I wanted it to be—nine inches above the knee.

Kira gave me a look and I shrugged. "What? I have long legs."

She started sewing and I remembered something from that afternoon.

"Kira?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"What did you mean when you were getting sorted and you said something about evil?" I bit my lip, worried about the answer.

"Oh," Kira kept focusing on my skirt, "I mentioned that my family had a history of being dark and evil and doing blood sacrifices on Muggle-borns on full moons."

She took one look at my horrified face and laughed as loudly as possible without waking up Jordan. "Calm down, Charlie. It was asking about one of my stories—believe it or not—and I was describing the plot."

I frowned and gave her a soft punch in the arm. "That wasn't funny."

"Yes, it was."


	14. Rivalry

**Chapter Fourteen - Rivalry**

"Didn't you tell me you had insecurity issues?" Kira murmured to me.

I smiled and nodded my head.

"Then why do you seem to enjoy all the guys staring at you?" Kira joked.

"Because they've probably never seen tanned legs before… plus, my mixed features look fawesome," I said. Fawesome was a censored version of fucking awesome.

Kira, Jordan, and I were walking to the Great Hall and sat on the near empty benches of the Slytherin table. It was around 7:30 A.M. and Jordan had woken up twenty minutes ago.

"So!" I clapped my hands together. "What's on our schedule today?"

"Well…" Kira hummed. "Since school doesn't officially start until tomorrow, why don't we explore the castle?"

"Ooh! I want to find the Room of Requirements," I giggled.

"That's entirely fiction," Connor retorted.

I jumped at the sound of his voice and he sat next to me. "That's not entirely creepy," I murmured. Jordan almost choked on her apple juice. "What about the Whomping Willow?"

"Fake," Celes called out in a melodic voice. She sat beside Kira, in front of Connor and smiled a greeting at everyone.

I studied her and bit back my jealousy. "Did anyone ever tell you you're the sexy female version of Draco Malfoy?"

"Mm," Celes nodded. "Someone said something like that last night."

Kira started laughing and nudged Celes with her shoulder.

I raised an eyebrow and thought, _Something's going on around here…_

"So," Connor smiled. "How would you three like to get the official Hogwarts tour by the best prefects ever?"

I mimed looking around. "Well, where are they?"

Jordan and Kira started laughing and Connor scowled at me.

"I'm just kidding, jerk-face," I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you mean to me?" Connor asked me.

"Why were _you_ mean to _me_?" I shot back.

"I was not mean to you!" Connor growled.

"Dude, you freaking insulted me yesterday, saying I had no friends."

"It was a joke!"

"Yeah? So was your mom."

"Ooh, burn," Jordan said.

Connor threw up his hands. "You know what? I just can't get through to you. You're just so freaking stubborn."

I held up my index finger. "I prefer the term hard-headed. And for your information, I don't like jerk offs like you."

He folded his arms across his chest. "I guess your types are the pretty boy's, huh?" He nodded from behind me and I turned, seeing Race walk towards me.

"Better him than you," I sniped angrily. Jordan, Kira, and Celes were watching our rebuttals back and forth.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into," Connor warned me.

Race reached us and he touched my elbow. "Hey. Want to walk around the castle together?"

I heard a thump and turned to Connor. He was angrily rubbing his knee and glaring at Celes. They gave each other pointed looks and Connor just shrugged, a grin playing on his lips.

"Have fun, Charlie," he said sarcastically.

"Fuck you," I whispered loudly. I turned to Race. "I'm sorry, I already agreed to get a tour with Kira and Jordan." I motioned to them and smiled apologetically to Race.

Kira spoke up. "Hey, Charlie, you hate being ignored, so if you get a one-on-one tour with Race, he'll give you all the attention you need. So why don't you go?"

I smiled and slowly nodded, holding Race's hand to help me out of the bench. As I was walking away with Race, I heard Celes sharply say Kira's name.


End file.
